Fall to Pieces
by The Second Sky
Summary: Calleigh moves away after telling Horatio something she wishes she hadn't. MiamiVegas semi-crossover totally HC - Chapter four finally posted!
1. Unrequited

**Title:** Fall to Pieces

**Author:** The Second Sky

**Pairing:** Horatio/Calleigh _(as always!)_

**Disclaimer:** Characters aren't mine, which is sad but I've learned to live with it.

**A/N **– This is the first piece of fic that I've put up here, so please be gentle with me!

'Fall to Pieces' is dedicated to Rhys, for being my muse and the Horatio to my Calleigh. You inspired this story, though I doubt you'll ever know it.

"_Nothing spoils the taste of peanut butter like unrequited love." _

_-Charlie Brown_

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It was impossible and she knew it. No matter how many times she tried she couldn't stop her heart from racing, her pulse pounding in her ears and her temperature soaring rapidly the second that he entered the room. He had never noticed or encouraged her response to him, yet she couldn't stop feeling that he was constantly watching her. It was all in her head, she knew but she just couldn't control it, the power he had over her was amazing.

She sighed into her ballistics report and tried to concentrate on the job at hand. Although within ten minutes she was daydreaming again. This particular dream involved her finally finding the courage to say "No" when he asked her if everything was ok, to be honest about how she felt about him. And in her dream, as in all the dreams before it he replied, _"You feel that way too?"_ looking deep into her soul with those piercing blue eyes of his _"Why didn't you tell me before?" _she looked away from him and he took her hand, forcing her to meet his gaze again. Even though she knew that this was just a dream Calleigh could feel the sensation of his fingertips stroking the back of her hand. As the dream figure pulled her ever closer to him she felt his breath on the top of her ear and his arms around her waist, she could even smell his cologne…

She sniffed the air again and let out a gentle sigh, because all it could ever be was a daydream. She was brought back to reality with a thump when she heard someone cough behind her. Calleigh's eyes popped open in surprise and she quickly turned to face whoever was interrupting her. As she turned she could have sworn she saw a slight smirk on his face, which was quickly replaced by his normal serious posture.

"I'm not disturbing you?" He asked looking slightly concerned. "You looked pretty deep in thought. I've been standing here for five minutes already" She blushed and tried to hide it by turning back to her paperwork.

"I was just wondering what kind of monster could do this to a child." She turned back to indicate some of the pictures Speed had taken of their current crime scene and prayed her colouring had returned to normal.

"Well, that's what we're going to find out Calleigh." He nodded grimly to himself. "Have you found out where she bought the rope?"

"Yeah, the local hardware store gave me the Security Camera tapes. She knew exactly what she wanted. According to the receipt they printed she bought 6 feet of 5mm plaited pre-stretched marine rope made from polyester."

"The same kind used to kill Cody. Did we match the cut marks with the remaining rope?"

"Yup. Seems like we've got the mom all tied up for this one." She smiled at her own pun. Anything to lighten the atmosphere in the room, it was becoming more oppressive by the second. She made a decision, looked down at her watch and said in her best shocked and surprised voice.

"Oh my Lord, is that the time? I've got a Doctor's appointment in 10 minutes." He didn't seem convinced but let her leave the room without comment.

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Calleigh decided to drive downtown and parked in a quiet parking lot in front of a sandwich store for a while, to kill time while everyone back at the lab thought she was 'seeing the doctor' and to clear her head. She knew she couldn't continue like this, being so close to him constantly but not being able to touch him without feeling completely exposed and vulnerable was eating her up inside. Not only did it affect her, it was beginning to encroach on her work too, and that was a risk she couldn't take. She'd worked hard to climb the ladder and get enough respect within the forensics community to have her theories taken seriously. She couldn't afford to ruin that by doing sloppy paperwork or miscalculating simple calculations.

Mentally she gave herself a slap and forced herself concentrate on the problem at hand. She had two viable choices: Either she give up all hope of ever being more than friends with Horatio, or she pulled herself together and somehow found the courage to sit him down and say "I'm in love with you." Neither seemed like particularly easy options, but deep down she knew that she could never give up hope in him without looking into his eyes and being told that her feelings were not reciprocated. And hey, if he reacted too badly she could always get that job she'd heard about in Vegas, but she hoped it wouldn't come to that.

She brought her head down towards the steering wheel with such force that she was sure the internal airbag would release itself, cushioning her from a non-existent impact. Then she heard a soft tap on the passenger window. Slowly she looked up, and she was greeted by the sight of Horatio, concern lining his face. She sighed and unlocked the door.

"Bad News?" he asked, climbing into the passenger seat beside her.

"Oh?" She remembered that she was meant to be seeing her doctor. "Um… No, I'm just tired. It's been a long week."

"You should get a rest now that we've wrapped up that murder case."

"Well I was thinking of going home for a while, just for a holiday." Horatio nodded and smiled up at her. Calleigh felt herself being drawn to him again. She tried to work out in her head the best way to explain how she felt. Her Momma had always told her that honesty was the best policy so she took a deep breath and turned herself towards him.

"Horatio, there's something I have to tell you because if I don't I'm just going to explode or do something stupid or lose my job. The thing is I've been thinking about it for a while now I just didn't know how to say it but I couldn't tell anyone and I… um…"

She was very aware that she was babbling but she couldn't stop, until finally her verbal torrent slowed down and came to a faltering stop.

"Well I thought it was only fair to sit with you and tell you now because otherwise this would have gone on forever. The thing is I really like you, more than that. I think... I think I'm in love with you…"

She'd never seen so many emotions flick over Horatio's face at once, just to be covered as usual by his usual unemotional façade. She turned herself to face the front of the car again and closed her eyes. A voice inside her head repeatedly asked her _'what have you done? You couldn't just leave it could you, you had to tell him.'_ A tear ran softly down her cheek as the silence closed in on them. The tension was tangible as seconds turned into minutes and neither of them spoke. And finally after what seemed like hours Horatio cleared his throat.

"Well… Uh… Calleigh. I think we should talk about this, but not here. Come to my office later?" She nodded but didn't dare open her mouth in case something else that she didn't really want to share popped out of it. Either that or the sobs that were threatening to overwhelm her. He cleared his throat again and made a swift exit.

When she knew she was finally alone Calleigh wept. She cried for what could have been and she cried because she knew her life would never be the same. She wished that she had never said anything, just left everything as it had been. A happy flirty relationship with him and never anything more.

After two hours or so Calleigh was all cried out. She rubbed a hand over her tired eyes and tried to figure out where to go from here. One thing she knew for sure was that she was not going to his office to be told very politely by him that there could never be anything between them because he was her boss and she was one of the best CSI's he had on the team. He would suggest that they forget that afternoon had ever happened and they would just move on, a little more uncomfortable than before but still the same old Calleigh and Horatio.

'_No more'_ declared the voice in her head, louder than ever. _'No more pain, no more longing glances across the DNA profiles. No more!'_ And with a start she realised it was right. She couldn't go back so the only way through this mess was forwards, with a new future and in a new place. She reached for her cell and dialled the number that she had picked up from the ad.

"Hello? Mr Grissom, this is Calleigh Duquesne from Miami. I heard about the job going at your lab…"

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It was hours later and Calleigh had returned to the lab to pick up some things she'd left in her haste that morning. She had an interview with Gil Grissom from the Las Vegas crime lab organised for the following Friday and had asked Alexx nicely if she would put in the holiday request for her with Horatio. Calleigh decided she couldn't face seeing him right now, in fact she was sure when she would be able to face it. The one thing she did know is that she wanted to get as far away from Miami as she possibly could. Every time she thought of the predicament she was in that vindictive little voice in her head would always pipe up _'and all of this because of a man…!'_

The second that she entered the ballistics lab she felt his presence all around her. She knew he was there, sitting on a stool to her left, waiting. She refused to acknowledge him, pretending she couldn't feel the tension hit her like a heat wave when she passed through the lab's entrance doors. She walked towards her desk and shuffled her paperwork with her back to him.

"Calleigh." His voice was calm but concerned, his usual tone when dealing with her of late.

"Horatio." She nodded in his direction but continued looking at her papers.

"I can't just ignore it, you know. I can't forget what you said." She bit her lip and tried to concentrate harder on the paperwork, anything to fight the waves of sadness passing over her. He stood up and walked over to her, less than a foot away in true distance but to Calleigh it may as well have been miles. She stepped forward, still refusing to meet his eye. He reached up and put a hand under her chin.

"Calleigh" he said again and lifted it slightly until their faces were level and their noses were almost touching. Her sparkling green eyes met with his deep blue ones and she could swear she heard a voice whisper in her ear 'this one.'

Suddenly his arm was snaking around her waist, pulling her closer to him, she closed her eyes and when their lips finally met she swore that she saw stars. For one brief and wonderful moment the stars were aligned, the earth was moving beneath her feet and angels were singing a chorus on her shoulder.

When they finally pulled away she was flushed and breathless, but oh so incredibly happy. Joy was practically seeping from her pores, while he, in contrast, seemed withdrawn and melancholy. She looked down to see his hand curled happily around her waist and hers mirroring it perfectly. She smiled up at him, but this seemed to deject him further.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have taken advantage of you like that. We can't do this again Calleigh; I'm your boss. It wouldn't work."

"I'll get a new job, I'll move to one of the other teams. I will do anything it takes Horatio." She uncoiled her arm from around him and stood facing him, looking for all the world like a petulant child.

"No Calleigh. This can never happen again." He took a deep breath and the words she had been dreading the most fell from his lips.

"I'm sorry. I just don't feel that way about you." She was stunned. Had he not felt the sparks too? Did the voice not speak softly into his ear telling him what she already knew? Quickly she pulled herself together.

"Oh. Well, I should go… Um… I have to get home." She practically ran from the room, grabbing her bag on the way.

Her footsteps echoed loudly down the corridor as she picked up pace. She just had to get away. As she turned a corner she slipped slightly and nearly careered into Alexx who managed to step out of the way just in time. Calleigh heard her friend's voice echoing down the corridor behind her.

"Where you goin' in such a hurry Calleigh? Calleigh?"

"Anywhere but here." She replied and muttered softly to herself: "It's time to go."

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"I still can't believe you're going all the way to Las Vegas Sugar." Alexx said to Calleigh whilst trying to put on a brave face.

Calleigh leaned over and hugged Alexx one final time before she left. She hated goodbyes and this one was especially hard after working for so long together with the rest of the team. One by one they hugged and said their goodbyes, promising to call and email often until finally she stood in front of Horatio.

He looked down at her with the same impassive face that he'd been using around her for the last few weeks, since the kiss. She tried not to dwell on it in his company. After all he could not help what he did or didn't feel for her. He reached out and took her hand.

"Take care of yourself Calleigh, you'll always have a place back here, no matter what."

"Thank you, but I really need to do this." He nodded again and stared at the floor. She made to turn away from him when he grabbed her arm, pulled her back toward him and hugged her tightly.

"What if I asked you to stay?" he whispered into her ear. She turned to look at him one final time, meeting his eyes firmly and shaking her head.

"It's time to move on Horatio." She whispered in return. Extracting herself from his arms, she leaned over and kissed his cheek softly, climbed into her car and quickly pulled away.

As the throng quickly evaporated back to work in the lab, Horatio watched the traffic flow and embrace Calleigh's car as she made her way to the airport he reached up and put a hand on his cheek where she'd kissed him. A voice behind him shook him out of his reverie

"She'll be back, Sugar." He shook his head. "You could always go and get her." He shook his head again.

"It's too late Alexx, I put the job first and I lost her."

"Horatio you told her you didn't love her, how is that putting the job first?" He shrugged.

"It seemed the right thing to do at the time. I just can't bear the thought of hurting her Alexx."

"Shouldn't you give her the choice instead of deciding for her? You only get one soulmate Horatio. Remember that." She wandered quietly back into the lab leaving him alone on the parking lot waiting and hoping against hope for Calleigh to return.


	2. New Beginnings

"_Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."_

_-Semisonic_

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Calleigh looked around her dingy new apartment and sighed deeply. It wasn't a patch on her sun filled house back in Miami. She was glad she hadn't put it up for sale yet; it was the only tie to Miami that she wasn't ready to cut. She had to keep reminding herself that this was her home now and she would just have to try and make it as comforting as her old place had been, even if it killed her. She looked around again and thought _'Home. It's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.' _Smiling to herself she shook her head and made a mental note to get out more.

Standing in front of her full-length mirror she smoothed the crease that was running down the front of her smartest suit pants, straightened her ponytail and headed out the door, muttering all the while "New beginnings Calleigh. New beginnings."

On the long journey from her apartment to her new workplace Calleigh thought back to the day she had started work in the Miami crime lab. She remembered it being a dull and rainy day, something that very rarely happened in the Florida climate. The unexpected rain had soaked through her flimsy jacket and left her looking like an entrant of a high-class wet T-shirt contest, yet Horatio had still greeted her with respect, though she suspected that he had been laughing just a little bit inside.

The thought of him brought a flood of images and sensations floating through her head. Horatio standing over the microscope examining trace materials, the determined look he got on his face when he knew he had the right bad guy but couldn't prove it, the way he had hugged her goodbye and finally asked her not to leave, even though they both knew it was too late.

The final image that floated through her tired brain was the worst of all, the look on his face when she had admitted that she loved him, it seemed to her like a lifetime ago but in reality it was just over two weeks. She had seen that look so many times in her head yet she still couldn't identify the emotions passing through his usually stoic face. She sighed heavily and wondered if he was missing her at all.

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She made her way inside the Vegas crime lab building and walked straight into a guy going in the other direction. She opened her mouth to apologise but he beat her to it.

"Why don't you look where you're going?" he yelled at her, and before she could try and apologise again he had stormed off.

"Great start Calleigh (!)" She muttered to herself whilst thanking the powers above that it had only been a delivery guy that she had walked into.

When she got to the front desk, she explained to the desk clerk who she was and asked for the directions to Gil Grissom's office. The clerk up looked at her uncomprehendingly and told her to wait for someone to come out and show her around. Calleigh did her best to hide the feelings of disappointment floating around her head. She may have been new to this crime lab but she wasn't a new CSI, she just wanted to get on with the job and work hard enough to forget all about Horatio.

She made her way over to some padded blue chairs in the corner of the room opposite the desk where the clerk sat filing her nails. Sitting down, she noticed a glass topped coffee table in front of her with a few magazines haphazardly scattered on it. For some reason she didn't feel like reading 'Forensics Focus' or 'The Crime Lab News' so she sat watching the clerk still filing her nails, and envied the simplicity of her life for a moment. She was sure that clerk had never had to switch jobs just because she had a crush on her boss and then had the stupidity to tell him about it.

A door opened to her right and a young guy, cute in a puppy dog way emerged through it. Calleigh watched him as he made his way through the room heading towards her. She had seen hundreds of guys like him back in Miami - the cool surfing type - and wondered what he was doing working a crime lab. Her pondering was brought to a conclusion when he stopped in front of her and held out his hand. She stood, smiled at him and shook his hand firmly. It was always good to be positive when making a first impression.

"Calleigh Duquesne?" She nodded. "I'm Greg Sanders and Griss, uh... Mr Grissom asked me to show you around the lab while he's out on 'personal business.'" She heard him make the verbal speech marks and wondered what kind of 'personal business' Gil Grissom would find himself out of the lab on. She'd heard that he was a reclusive character who was incredibly dedicated to his work; she doubted that 'personal business' fitted high on his agenda.

As they stood there Calleigh saw a woman she recognised coming towards them. The woman took Calleigh's hand and shook it firmly.

"Calleigh Duquesne, I heard you were transferring up here but I didn't think it would actually happen. Horatio says you're one of the best he's got." Suddenly the woman's name hit Calleigh - Catherine Willows - the woman that Horatio always called when a case had connections to Las Vegas. Although she knew that Horatio and Catherine had only met up a few times inside work, it hadn't stopped the green-eyed monster rising in Calleigh. She cleared her throat, hoping to clear the lump that was impeding her from speaking.

"Well I uh… thought it was time for a change of scenery." She said in what she hoped her most convincing voice. Even thinking about Horatio was making her uncomfortable.

"We're certainly lucky to have you. I'll have to call Horatio later and thank him for letting you go." She smiled at Calleigh once again and left her with Greg, feeling utterly bewildered and alone. Greg turned to her with an adoring look on his face.

"Wow! Catherine is never that enthusiastic about anyone. You must have really made an impression there." She smiled at him shortly and quickly moved to change the subject.

"So, tell me about your ballistics lab…"

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It had been a long day and she was exhausted. Calleigh unlocked the door to her new apartment and surveyed the mass of boxes that she still had to unpack. She threw herself down onto her couch and sighed deeply. She tried to summon up the energy to sort through them but failed, and soon she was drifting to sleep.

She woke with a start; her body bathed in a cold sweat, visibly trembling in the fading light. As she rubbed her eyes and stretched, bits of her dream came back to her. She remembered that in the dream she was sitting in her car in front of the sandwich store, exactly as she had on that fateful day when she'd made what she considered to be the biggest mistake of her life. At first the scene played true to what had happened: The car door had opened, Horatio had gotten in next to her, she'd admitted her feelings and then it all changed and he produced a knife. It was about 10 inches long, probably carbon steel she remembered thinking. He had pointed it at her chest and shook his head at her.

"I'm sorry I have to do this Calleigh, but I just don't feel that way about you."

She could feel the blade ripping through her flesh and slowing as it made contact with her vital organs. She shuddered violently at the thought and tried to dislodge the images from her brain. Horatio would never do that.

The bleep of her cell ringing shook her from her nightmare. She picked it up and saw the name on the screen showing 'Horatio'. She pressed the call end button. She just couldn't face him right now. As she leaned down to place the cell back on the coffee table where it had been, it began to ring again. She sighed and picked it up again; she answered it without even checking the display.

"Horatio, I don't want you checking up on me. I've got a new life now so please just leave me alone." She went to press the call end key again but was stopped by the sound of a familiar male voice that wasn't Horatio.

"Uh… Calleigh it's me, Greg." Mentally she swore at her own stupidity.

"Oh hey Greg." She answered in her sweetest voice, praying he didn't ask about what she'd just said.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to come out and meet the rest of the team. They've been in court all day." She thought for a moment before answering. It couldn't do any harm to go out socialising with her new workmates could it?

"Well sure, you just tell me where you are and I'll come down and meet you." He named a bar downtown, away from the tourist infested casinos and seedy strip joints. Smiling to herself she told him she'd be there in 20 minutes.

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Calleigh stepped through the doors of the bar and stood still for a moment, dazzled by the brightness of the walls and the volume of the music. She peered around hoping to spot someone who looked vaguely like a CSI but all she could see were hundreds of moving bodies everywhere. Some were dancing in front of a juke box but the majority of the crowd seemed to be standing by the bar trying to order drinks. Finally she heard someone calling her name.

"Hey Calleigh, over here!" She walked over Greg who was sitting with two other guys and a girl. He turned to the other members of his group.

"Everyone, this is Calleigh. Calleigh this is Sara, Warrick and Nick." As he said each name he indicated them with a nod of his head. As her gaze followed his final nod to the guy called Nick, Calleigh realised there was something distinctly familiar about him. It took her a moment but she finally remembered who he was. He was the guy who'd yelled at her for getting in his way at the lab this morning. He smiled at her warmly and though she returned his smile she made sure that hers was tight and cold.

Calleigh turned away from Nick and sat down next to Greg, who immediately jumped up and went to get her a drink. She looked around the table and noticed Warrick and Sara having a heated debate about the existence of spontaneous human combustion. She considered joining in, but her attention was drawn by Nick who was staring at her intently, his eyes boring into her cheek. She turned to look at him, her eyes meeting his gaze.

"Can I help you?" She asked him in her firmest tone of voice. Greg reappeared at her side with a drink, and sat down beside her before she could catch Nick's response.

"So uh… Calleigh do you have a guy waiting for you back home?" She had to try very hard to suppress the snort of laughter that was threatening to burst from her. She could swear she heard Sara mutter something under her breath that sounded like "real subtle there Greg" but decided to ignore it in case she was mistaken.

"No not at the moment Greg." She grinned at him and in return she got another glimpse of his puppy dog eyes. "I guess I've not met the right guy yet." She turned to Sara who smiled at her and rolled her eyes as if to say _'men!'_

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It was late the next morning when Calleigh finally woke up. She opened her eyes and then promptly closed them again. Groaning loudly she rolled over onto the other side of her bed and tried to bury herself under the sheets whilst simultaneously reaching up to switch off her alarm. On the way back under the comforter her hand brushed against something that felt distinctly like paper so she pulled that under the covers with her. It took a moment for her to gather the energy together to open the note and even then she had to read it three times before the words began to sink into her sleep and alcohol riddled brain.

"_Calleigh, _

_Thanks for last night. I had a really great time! _

_See you at work,_

_Greg x"_

When the words finally permeated the fug inside her head, she shot up from under the comforter but had to close her eyes again. She sighed heavily. The last thing she needed right now was a hangover.

Fragments of the night before slowly returned to her. She remembered drinking cocktails with Sara, having quasi-philosophical discussions about nothing with Warrick, ignoring Nick completely and dancing with Greg in front of the jukebox to Elvis' 'Love Me Tender'. The last memory that returned to her was the most disturbing of all, she remembered inviting, well, dragging Greg up to her apartment and kissing him in her living room. Her cheeks burned red with embarrassment as she remembered the look of fear on his face as she'd taken his hand and led him up the stairs.

"Oh My Lord." She said out loud to herself. "What did I do?" She shook her head in an attempt to clear it a little, and then wished she hadn't. Moving it hurt too much. _'So much for new beginnings' _muttered the little voice in her head.


	3. Letting Go

**A/N – **This is chapter three of 'Fall to Pieces' it's mainly Miami/Vegas with precious little HC action. Thanks to everyone who's read and reviewed so far. Please keep it up!

"Don't call me. Don't write.  
Don't show up in the middle of the night.  
You know that, we needed.  
Some time and space to breathe in."

-Sozzi- Letting Go

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Calleigh opened one eye and glanced at the old alarm clock she kept on her nightstand. It was much later in the day than she'd thought but she still couldn't muster the energy to get out of bed. The thought of hiding under her sheets, away from the world comforted her somewhat. At least she couldn't do anything too career damaging alone in her bed. Even a work free weekend couldn't rid of her of the embarrassment and dread she felt about having to face Greg. 

Her cell began bleeping at her to indicate an incoming call. She wished that she could ignore it but knowing that it might be the crime lab, she pulled her hand up from under the blankets and reached around on her nightstand to grab the annoying ringing object. After what seemed like hours her fingers brushed against the hard silver plastic that covered her cell. As her fingers closed around it she could feel the vibrations from it shoot down her arm and into her body, causing her to shiver. It took a moment of concentration to convince her thumb and index finger to flip open the cell, but she managed it if just to stop the horrific noise it was making. She pressed the cold phone to her ear and cleared her throat.

"Duquesne." She answered, trying not to sound too sleepy. All at once she knew that answering the cell without checking the caller display had been a mistake, as she heard the verbal smile of her ex boss over the line. The little voice inside her head laughed at her as she remembered how she used to love that noise. Every time he made it toward her meant that she had pleased him, and she had loved making him happy.

"Calleigh, it's Horatio. How are you doing?" She paused for a moment and considered how to answer the question. Should she be honest with him and beg for her old job back? Or lie and tell him that she didn't miss him or Speed or Alexx at all? She decided quickly.

"I'm doing great thanks, I love working up here, and it's so different to Miami! How's life back there?"

"Very busy at the moment, especially since we've not hired anyone to replace you yet." His tone sounded dejected. In fact Calleigh was pretty sure that she'd never heard him sound so low. She wasn't quite sure how to answer his last comment, so she said nothing and hoped he'd continue.

"It… Uh…" He paused as if trying to decide what to say next. "It's not the same without you Calleigh." He paused again. "It's very quiet now we don't have guns going off every 10 minutes." He laughed a fake laugh and she joined in. His tone was light and playful but it didn't hide the emotions packed into his voice.

She looked up at her clock again, there was only ten minutes for her to get ready and leave for the crime lab without being late. Sighing to herself she took a deep breath and prepared to end the call. A small part of her was desperate to hang on to him and talk about anything, just so she could keep listening to his voice, but she knew deep down that she had to let go_. 'That was the whole point of this move'_ she reminded herself _'to get away from past mistakes and start afresh. He doesn't love you in that way, and he never will. So it's best for everyone if you just cut him out of your life completely.' _

"Horatio, I have to go. I'm in the middle of a case here."

"Oh of course, I'm sorry I didn't mean to interrupt you at work. Call me. Anytime." As she pressed the call end button and flipped the phone closed she couldn't help thinking how sad and lost he sounded. She rolled over onto her back and closed her eyes, reflecting over the conversation. _'You can't keep doing this to yourself'_ said the voice in her head, which, she noted was beginning to sound more like her mother. _'Get away from him while you still can. There's plenty of nice guys here in Vegas.'_

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After running practically the whole way from her apartment to the crime lab Calleigh arrived at the safe haven of her gun vault only a few minutes later than usual. She knew that her face looked red and sweaty and she was seriously beginning to regret wearing heels to work but she felt so much happier being away from the dingy apartment.

As she moved slowly through the ballistics lab mentally checking off her work list for the day she came across an envelope left on her desk with a Miami postal code stamped on it. She looked down at it and knew immediately whose writing had precisely printed her name and her new work address onto it. She ripped open the envelope, taking care not to damage the letter inside. She pulled out a wad of papers and began to read.

The note was from Alexx, keeping her up to date on the latest happenings at the lab as well as all of the gossip that she'd missed since leaving. Calleigh smiled to herself as she read the letter, Alexx was such a good friend for keeping her up to date with all the happenings from her old life. Her smile slowly faded as she read the last paragraph of the letter.

"_Honey, forgive me if this isn't my place to say but Horatio hasn't been the same since you left. I'm guessing that he's the reason you went away so quickly and you're the reason that he's changed so much since. I've never seen him so low Calleigh. From what I can tell he barely eats or sleeps, he just buries himself in his work. I honestly don't know how much longer he can keep this up without having a breakdown. If you can help him Calleigh, please do. I know how much you mean to him._

_Missing you._

Alexx  
P.s. He asked me to include this note when I mailed the letter to you." 

Calleigh extracted the envelope that Alexx had mentioned from the sheaf of paper in her hand and noted her name written on the front of it in Horatio's usual scrawl. She sighed loudly and tucked the envelope into the drawer of her desk promising herself that she would deal with it later.

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Calleigh sighed and bit her lip. It was annoying habit that she thought that she'd kicked. Her mother had told her time and time again that biting your lip was unladylike and should not be done, but whenever stress presented itself to Calleigh she found herself doing it unconsciously. She had been trying all morning to soft through the pile of ballistics reports that had built up overnight on her desk but her mind kept wandering back to the note that was tucked inside her desk drawer, waiting to be read.

Her hand slipped over to the drawer, opened it and pulled out the note. Carefully placing it on the desk in front of her she traced her index finger along the indentations on it that marked out her name. She closed her eyes and saw his face in her minds eye. He looked so very happy there, not like when she'd last seen him.

A knock on the door behind her awoke Calleigh from her memories. She turned her head to see who was disturbing her and saw Greg standing in the doorway. She sighed inwardly, tucked the letter safely back into her drawer and turned to face him.

"Hi Greg, are you here for a report?" She asked motioning at her pile of papers. He pulled at his collar and seemed very uncomfortable.

"Uh… Hey Calleigh. I just wanted to talk to you. Uh…About friday night…" Before he had time to finish his sentence Calleigh interrupted him.

"Greg, I wanted to apologise about that." She blushed. "I think I had a few too many cocktails with Sara and uh…" She trailed off and looked up at him. He was beginning to look distinctly relieved. "Well you know the rest." She paused again and decided whether to ask her next question.

"This is really embarassing but I've got to know, we didn't actually do anything… Did we?" Her blush deepend as he laughed and shook his head.

"That note on your pillow scared you, huh?" He grinned. "Sorry Calleigh but I'm saving myself for Sara." Calleigh tried her hardest to hide the shock she felt when she heard this. Not in a million years could she ever imagine Sara dating Greg. He noticed the look of confusion on her face and added: "She doesn't want me yet, but she'll realise one day. I'm just waiting for it to happen."

Calleigh couldn't help smiling at his optimism, she didn't want to rain on his parade by telling him about her experience with Horatio. She envied his innocence about unrequited love and wished that she could go back to the time where she had felt like that, instead of being trapped in a place that she just couldn't call home.

She looked up at the doorway and noticed that he had already gone, leaving her alone with her thoughts once again.

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It was late afternoon when she heard someone knock the door to the ballistics lab for the second time that day. Calleigh sighed, put down the weapon she was rebuilding and made her way out of the gun safe. She was greeted by the sight of Nick standing in the middle of the lab staring at the floor with the usual look of fury and exasperation on his face. She decided that today would be the day that she would make an effort to be nice to him, because as she kept telling herself _'everyone has bad days'_.

"Hey there Nick, what can I do for you?" She smiled at him, trying to meet his stony gaze.

"Hi Calleigh." He looked slightly taken aback at her friendly approach. "Can you do a comparison between this and the bullet from the Thomas case?" He asked handing an evidence bag to her.

"No problem. I'll get on it now." She smiled at him again and was slightly shocked to note his smile in return. She turned away from him to retrieve the other bullet for comparison expecting him to leave her to it, but when she turned back to the microscope she saw he was still in the room, watching her.

"Can I help you with anything else Nick?" She asked, puzzled. He paused for a moment and wrinkled his nose in amusement.

"You're pretty when you smile Calleigh, you should do it more often." He turned to leave, stopped himself and looked back at her. "I don't suppose you'd like to try and prove me wrong about that after work tonight?" He grinned at her in the way that infuriated her, and he knew it.

"I don't know Nick. I'm trying to avoid the whole dating in the workplace thing."

"Go on, just this once." He grinned at her again, but this time she could see something else behind his eyes. Interest? Desperation? She couldn't tell, but she had to admit - if only to herself - that something about Nick Stokes intrigued her. She took a moment, just to keep him waiting and then nodded slowly.

"When and where?" Calleigh asked, looking up, meeting his gaze and grinning at him in what she hoped was the same annoying manner that he had used on her.

"It's a surprise, so I'll pick you up, about eight?"

"See you then." Calleigh turned back to the microscope and tried to focus her attention on the bullet striations in front of her. She couldn't help thinking that she was drowning out the memory of one guy with another. _'At least this one wants you'_ added the little voice in her head.

"But do I want him?" She replied to no one in particular.

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At exactly eight o'clock Calleigh heard her door buzz. Quickly she gathered her possessions about her. Purse? Check. Lipgloss? She strode towards the large mirror that she had hung in her hallway, stood in front of it and slicked some colour from the tube onto her lips. She smiled at her reflection, straightened her shirt and opened the door to let Nick in.

As the door opened she caught sight of Nick standing in front of it holding a bunch of flowers firmly in his grasp. She motioned him to come inside and took the flowers when he offered them to her.

"Flowers?" She asked, raising one eyebrow questioningly.

"To apologise for being such an ass when we first met."

"My, what a perfect southern gentleman." She exclaimed, playing up her accent in an attempt to annoy him. He removed an imaginary hat from his head and tipped it to her in the proper fashion, then took her hand and led her out to his SUV.

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Ten minutes later they pulled up in a parking lot on the outskirts of the city. Calleigh peered through her window of the SUV and hoped that they wouldn't be stopping there for too long, in the dimness of the street lamps she could see shadows moving all around them. Circling them.

She turned to Nick who gave her a reassuring smile. As she stepped out of the vehicle she could hear whispered voices and a dog barking. The crisp desert air swirled around her shoulders and she wished that she'd thought to bring a jacket. Nick began walking towards a small break in the line of buildings that marked one side of the parking lot. As she fell into step with him she began to wonder exactly where he was leading her.

They walked through a small alleyway in perfect sync until Nick turned left into a shabby looking building with paint peeling from its doorway. Calleigh stood outside the building for a moment considering her options; this place could be a crack den for all she knew. She decided to trust Nick's judgement and enter the dilapidated building, but not before removing her cell phone from her purse and tucking it safely into the pocket of her pants where she could reach it immediately if the situation got out of control.

As she stepped through the doorway Calleigh was greeted by the sound of laughter, a jukebox playing in the corner and waitresses skating around the place on roller skates. The walls of the building were painted in bright colours and huge spotlights hung from the ceiling. She had to stop for a moment to look around, completely awestruck.

She sat down in a booth facing Nick who ordered them both a coffee from a passing waitress.

"This place is amazing. I feel like we ought to be sharing a large milkshake and making eyes over cheeseburgers!" She exclaimed, still completely amazed at her surroundings.

"Well we can do that if you want." Nick laughed and met her gaze. Calleigh smiled softly at him and realised that she was actually having a good time.

Calleigh excused herself to go to ladies room and powder her nose. When she returned she saw a huge cheeseburger placed on the table in front of her seat and a large glass of chocolate milkshake with two straws in it sitting in the middle of the table. She raised an eyebrow at Nick quizzically and he shrugged in a noncommittal way.

"I liked the sound of making eyes at you over milkshake." He whispered.

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During the drive back to Calleigh's apartment the conversation flowed quickly. They talked about their childhoods, their families and friends. It was only when Nick asked her if she'd ever been in love that Calleigh became quiet and thoughtful. She didn't quite know how to explain her feelings for Horatio to Nick, especially as she seemed to be so busy spending her life pretending that they had never happened.

"Yes." She said simply, not wanting to elaborate and ruin whatever opinion he had of her. Horatio was her past and that is where he should stay. Nick nodded at her frank response.

"Me too." He said, and then after a moment of thought added: "But she died."

Calleigh leaned over and hugged him for a moment. When she'd let go of him, she kissed him softly on the cheek.

"Thanks for tonight Nick, I had a really great time."

"Can we do this again, soon?" He asked expectantly. Calleigh blinked and nodded.

"I'd like that."

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As she lay in bed that night, tossing and turning, Calleigh couldn't help feel that although she had everything she thought she wanted _– a good career, a relationship on the horizon, the best friends anyone could ask for –_ something was missing…


	4. Almost

**A/N – **Wow, chapter four of 'Fall to Pieces'! _(Considering it was meant to be a one chapter fic it's doing quite well! -g-)_. Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed my writing, your comments encourage me to carry on.

* * *

_"And I almost had you.  
But I guess that doesn't cut it.  
Almost had you.  
And I didn't even know it.  
You kept me guessing and now I'm destined,  
to spend my time missing you.  
I almost wish you would've loved me too."_

– _Bowling for Soup (Almost)_

_

* * *

_

Calleigh lay on the sofa in the break room at the Vegas crime lab daydreaming. She figured that since it was so late only her and the cleaners would still be in and she doubted that they would mind her catching 40 winks while waiting for some DNA results.

She was pleased to note that after her first date with Nick, the emptiness that she'd been feeling since leaving Miami had slowly begun to lift. And now after three very long months she was finally beginning to feel normal again. Calleigh explained the change in her attitude since her arrival to anyone who mentioned it by blaming the unfamiliar climate, but inside she knew that it was because she didn't have to see Horatio every day, torturing her with his presence, his sunglasses, his deep blue eyes but most of all, his unavailability.

She sighed to herself, as she always did when she thought of him. His note that Alexx had enclosed with her first letter still lay in the front of her drawer, unopened. Just thinking of the note piqued her curiosity, so she stood up and walked from the break room to her desk in the ballistics lab, opened her drawer and pulled out the envelope. Before she could change her mind she slipped her thumb between the seal and ripped through the fragile paper. She could feel her heartbeat quickening as she reached inside the envelope and pulled out a piece of notepaper covered in Horatio's neat writing. As she unfolded the paper something small and shiny fell from it, and landed on the floor with a chink. She placed the letter on the counter next to her, bent down to see what the shiny object was, and found a tiny silver angel attached to a fine silver chain. Calleigh picked it up and dangled the chain between her fingers, watching the pendant catch the fading light from the window in front of her.

Placing the angel on the counter by the letter it had come in, she quickly flicked on the main lights and filled the ballistics lab with light. She leaned against the counter, picked up the note and began to read.

"_Calleigh,_

_First of all I have to say: I'm sorry. _

I need to explain everythingbut I just can't write it here, some things have to be done in person.

Please just give me the chance to talk.

Alexx and I will be in Vegas on October 7th – 9th for the forensics conference at the Tropicana.

Eric and Speed send their best wishes.

I miss you Calleigh. We all do.

Horatio"

Calleigh had to re-read the note several times before she began to comprehend it. The words on the page kept jumbling together and re-arranging themselves in front of her eyes. A frown placed itself on her forehead, as the last line of the note sank in. He missed her! She snorted quietly to herself. He missed Bullet Girl, her alter ego, not the real Calleigh Duquesne.

She glanced at the calendar that she kept sat on her desk and realised that it was October 6th. She had no time left to plan an escape and she couldn't just run out on her new job with no explanation. Horatio would be in the same city as her in less than twelve hours and there was absolutely nothing that she could do about it.

Calleigh walked over to her desk, collapsed onto her chair and rested her head in her hands. She'd known all along that she'd have to see him again at some point, but she hadn't thought that it would be this soon.

She sighed and firmly told herself to get a grip. Horatio couldn't hurt her anymore because she had Nick now. Her eyes misted over as she thought of Nick. She was having trouble denying their lack of chemistry, yet he seemed to like her more than ever. She grimaced as she remembered Greg pulling her to one side in the lab the week before and asking her what she'd done to Nick because he'd never seen him acting this serious about a woman before.

The first few dates with Nick had been wonderful. In the beginning Calleigh had been ecstatic at getting his undivided attention, but after a while the differences between them had begun to show themselves and it had slowly dawned on her how little they had in common. He however, either hadn't noticed or hadn't cared about these differences and was still as devoted as ever. His determination to be a perfect southern gentleman was getting her down, and to make matters worse, he was even talking about taking her home to meet his Momma.

Even thinking about meeting Nick's mother had an air of finality about it that filled Calleigh with dread. Nick was not 'the one' and she knew it. She just wasn't sure if she wanted to admit it yet.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Nick loudly knocking on the door of the ballistics lab, which caused her to jump in surprise. _'Speak of the devil'_ said the little voice in her head. He took a few steps into the lab and stopped, grinning down at her in that annoying, patronising way of his.

"Hey beautiful." He made as if to hug her but she neatly side stepped out of his reach.

"Oh. Right. Keep it professional." He nodded to himself as if to impress this thought into his memory. Calleigh had made it very clear at the beginning of their relationship that she didn't want the entire office knowing her affairs. "Griss sent me to get you, we've got a body at the mayor's office."

"Why didn't you call me?" She asked him, feeling distinctly perturbed.

"Your cell is off." He paused, and then added with a flicker of a smile. "Plus it gave me an excuse to come find you."

Calleigh dug her fingernails into the palms of her hands, physically forcing herself to not roll her eyes in contempt. She fixed an idiotic grin on her face, hoping to convince him and herself that she was pleased to see him.

"So… Tell me about this body…" She asked, just to make conversation. Lately, talking to him was becoming more and more difficult. As he responded she grabbed her kit, stuffed the note into her pocket and headed towards the door with him following closely behind. Just as she reached the doorway and flipped off the lights, he stopped and called out to her.

"Hey Calleigh! I think you've forgotten something." She turned back towards Nick and was greeted by the sight of him standing in the pale light of the moon that was now shining through the window, a thin chain hanging from between his large fingers, and the angel hanging from it glittering at her.

He took a step towards her and undid the fastening on the chain. Calleigh tried to protest but he was too quick. With one easy movement he had slipped the chained gently around her neck and refastened the clasp. The cold metal of the angel burned against her warm skin and made her shiver.

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The body at the mayor's office was that of Juan Perez, the mayor's personal assistant. He had been shot twice in the leg and six times in the chest.

"What would you say happened Calleigh?" The voice of Gil Grissom boomed from somewhere above her right shoulder. She shook her head.

"It looks like overkill. The shooter obviously wanted to make sure he was dead." She was about to continue with her observations when Nick's voice once again interrupted her.

"Calleigh! Grissom! We've got another body." She stood cautiously and followed the sound of Nick's voice out of the door that lead to the main lobby of the mayor's office and through a side door that lead to an alleyway outside. On the floor lay the body of young woman, a single bullet wound through her temple and a gun clutched tightly in her hand. Calleigh shone her torch around the alleyway and spotted a bullet lying the path a few metres behind the body. She knelt down and examined it before dropping it into an evidence bag.

"Nine millimetre, same as the other victim." She stated.

"Looks like we've found our shooter." Nick added. " A crime of passion." He shook his head. Grissom looked up at him questioningly.

"We know nothing until this evidence is processed Nick. We don't work on theories"

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It had been a long night and Calleigh was glad to get back to her apartment just to be free of Nick. She knew deep down that she had to do something about him as soon as possible. Not only was he driving her up the wall by being so clingy and questioning her about everything, but the guilt of leading him on was beginning to take its toll. She promised herself that she would end it with Nick as soon as Horatio left the city.

It turned out that Nick had been right about the crime of passion. The security footage from the mayor's office showed Juan's pregnant wife Ima Perez had barged into his office earlier that afternoon armed with a handgun. Calleigh could see from his injuries that he had tried to run from her but his wife had felled him with two quick shots to his legs. From the angle of the bullet wounds to his chest Calleigh could tell that Ima had stood directly over him and fired at a downward angle into his body six times. The reason for the killing was somewhat surprising though; not only had Juan gotten Ima pregnant, but he'd also impregnated his four mistresses. When she'd found out about the other babies Ima had confronted him with her mother's Glock and shot him when he had tried to deny it. Then she had calmly taken herself outside, put the gun to her head and pulled the trigger.

'_Is it so hard to stay faithful to one person?' _She wondered. It wasn't as if she had much experience of matters of the heart. Her longest relationship had left her heartbroken for longer than the thing had actually lasted. She sighed and stretched herself out on her couch, only planning to rest there for a moment, just until she had enough energy to drag herself into bed.

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Calleigh was woken what felt like minutes later by her door buzzer ringing loudly and a woman's voice calling her name. It took a moment for her to shake the dust from her sleep addled brain and realise that the voice belonged to Alexx.

"Hold on! I'm coming!" She yelled before heaving herself from the couch. She quickly straightened her clothes, smoothed her hair and attempted to rub the sleep from her eyes before opening the door. As she peered out into the dim hallways she caught sight of the outline of Alexx leaning against the wall opposite her. Before she had time to speak or invite her in Calleigh had been enveloped in a warm hug. She laughed and hugged Alexx in return.

"Hey Sugar!" Exclaimed Alexx. She let go of Calleigh and took a step backwards so that she could look her up and down. "You look great! I guess the change has done you some good." Calleigh nodded and grinned.

"I do feel better up here, but I really miss everyone. It still feels strange having Doc Robbins as the M.E. instead of you."

"The team dynamic has changed somewhat since you left. I doubt you'd recognise it now." Alexx sighed deeply and glanced at her watch. "Sorry, I'm getting carried away. I only stopped came by to ask if you wanted to meet and catch up over dinner tonight."

"That'd be good. Did you have anywhere in mind?"

" Hey you live here! I'd love to go to the place where the locals go." Calleigh laughed. It was such a typical Alexx response.

"OK then, Emilio's it is. Should I book a table for two or will we have uh… company?" Alexx's face clouded over and Calleigh could tell that she was picking her words very carefully.

"Horatio's flying up here later today." She replied simply. Calleigh raised her eyebrows questioningly and Alexx shrugged. "He mentioned something about meeting an old friend." She paused before finally adding. "I'd better go back to the hotel and unpack. Meet you back here at eight." She turned and strode back down the badly lit hallway leaving Calleigh still looking a little rumpled, standing in her door way staring after her.

As she closed the door on Alexx's retreating form Calleigh decided that she couldn't face going back to sleep. Her brain had been woken from its dreamy trance by the whirlwind that was Alexx, and as she thought about what she had to get done at the lab that day she could practically hear the pile of paperwork on her desk calling to her.

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She finished her report on the death of Juan Perez and closed the file with a slam. She rubbed her throbbing temples and took a deep swig of her now cold coffee. It was going to be a long day.

After staring into space for ten minutes she realised that the cold coffee just wasn't making a dent in her caffeine cravings, so she decided to take five minutes out from her paper work mountain and see if she could make herself some fresh hot coffee.

The corridors of the lab were unusually quiet and Calleigh managed to slip through them quickly without seeing anyone she knew who would expect some polite chit chat before letting her go on her way.

As she entered the break room the unlikely sight of Gil Grissom fighting with the communal coffee grinder greeted her. She paused and watched him for a moment, enjoying the show of man versus machine _(machine seemed to have a distinct advantage) _and then decided that it probably wasn't a wise idea to be caught laughing at your boss whilst still being relatively new to your job. She took a step towards Grissom who was still too entangled with the grinder to notice her, put out her hand to help him and the coffee grinder _(aided by a large amount of force from Grissom)_ took flight over her head and hit the wall behind her with a loud _clunk, _spreading coffee beans around like confetti.

Calleigh knelt down, picked up the fallen appliance and examined it for damage. After shaking it thoroughly to make sure no parts had come loose from its brief foray into aviation she plugged it in and set it to work, grinding noisily on the counter top. Grissom turned to her with a slight smile, shrugged and left the room.

Once he'd gone she quickly made the coffee and carefully carried a cup down to Grissom's office. She tapped tentatively on the door and entered.

In her three months in Vegas she'd been in Grissom's office several times, yet she was still fascinated by the contents of the jars that lined the walls. She couldn't decide if she loved or hated them, but she freely admitted that the preserved pig foetus gave her the creeps.

As she entered his office he greeted her with a nod and continued writing on the papers in front of him. She cleared her throat softly.

"I thought you could do with some coffee after your battle with the grinder." She told him with a grin. Attempting to make conversation with Grissom about anything but a case was like pulling teeth.

"Thank you." He replied simply. She turned and began walking back towards the door but just before she reached the safety of the corridor he called her back.

"Uh… Calleigh? Could you attend the forensics conference this afternoon and tomorrow? I had asked Catherine but her daughter has tonsillitis so she's taking some leave." Calleigh swallowed a gasp of shock as best she could and composed herself.

"I… Uh…Yes. Sure I'll go to the conference. Would it be just me?" She quivered nervously.

"No Sara will be there too. I asked her to do the lecture that Catherine was supposed to be taking care of, so don't worry about that." She snorted internally at the mention of the lecture. It wasn't number one on her list of priorities. She comforted herself with the fact that there would be hundreds if not thousands of people there, so the likelihood of running into Horatio was pretty slim.

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Calleigh looked herself up and down in the mirror and nodded in approval. Although she didn't look as polished as she would have liked, she was satisfied that she'd made the best of a bad situation. Originally she had intended to go home and change before meeting Sara at the conference, but as fate would have it she was called out to a scene and spent most of the morning up to her ankles in mud. She thanked her guardian angel for giving her the foresight to leave a spare suit at work for any 'emergencies' that might crop up.

She retouched her lipgloss she took a deep breath, straightened the angel that hung around her neck, smoothed her silky blonde hair once more around her shoulders and walked out of the bathroom into the impressive hallway.

As she stepped out of the door she was almost swept away by the tide of people all heading in the direction of the central meeting hall. She reached the doorway of the hall and a tall brunette woman who bore a striking resemblance to Yelina Salas stopped her. Calleigh peered down at her nametag which read: _"Detective Stella Bonasera, New York" _and breathed a sigh of relief. It would be just too awful to see Yelina here with Horatio. She idly wondered if they had become more than 'just good friends' since she'd left Miami, after all it was common knowledge that Horatio had a soft spot for his sister in law.

Detective Bonasera coughed loudly to regain Calleigh's wandering attention.

"County?"

"Mi… Uh… Vegas." The tall woman shook her head as if to convey her annoyance at the dippy blonde who didn't even know what county she worked for.

"Name?"

"Calleigh Duquesne." Replied Calleigh feeling glad that she wasn't a criminal in this detective's neighbourhood. The woman made a mark on her clipboard, reached into a box behind her and grabbed a badge, which she handed to Calleigh.

She looked down at the badge in her palm, which simply read: _"Detective Calleigh Duquesne, Las Vegas" S_haking her head she pinned it to the lapel of her suit jacket and made her way through the large doors into the majestic hall.

Calleigh grinned to herself as she noted that no expense had been spared with the hall decorations. A large banner hung from the ceiling that read _"Welcome Forensics Fans!" _in large writing with advertisements for 'Forensics Focus' magazine either side of it. Calleigh sighed; she hated corporate sponsorship at events like these. They would make sure that there would be no way on earth that she'd be able to get out of the conference in one piece without at least one subscription to Forensics Focus.

She began navigating her way to the place she'd agreed to meet Sarah. Calleigh had suggested meeting next to the bar but Sara had rejected the idea in case she got tempted to drink before her big presentation, so they had agreed to catch up with each other in the far right corner of the room next to the balcony.

Calleigh made her way over to the corner fairly quickly and began looking around for Sara. After a moment or two she spotted her walking quickly toward the meeting place in her usual determined manner

A waiter with a tray arrived at the same time as Sara. Calleigh reached out and took a glass from him, lost her balance and took a step backwards in the hope of regaining it. She tried to fall against the wall but instead hit the man behind her on the way down. He turned around to see what had disturbed him just as she hit the floor.

"Are you ok down there?" Asked a familiar but concerned voice. It took Calleigh a moment to regain her bearings and for the owner of the voice to register in her head. She nodded slowly and then looked up to see a familiar hand being held out to pull her up. She took it and found herself looking into a very familiar pair of blue eyes.

"Hello Calleigh." Said Horatio.


End file.
